Spring-wheel.



O. C. KOCH.

. SPRING WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 27. 1914.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- awwewto'o 0. C. KOCH.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21. I914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Dec. 14; 11915.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application filed November 27, 191-1. I Serial No.8?4,241.

Toall who-m z t/may concern:

Be it known that L Orro C. Ko an, a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Bayonne, in the county oflludson and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spring-Wheels, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to spring wheels andit consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An objectof the invention is to provide a wheel of such structure that the hub glareof may have slight movement with relation to the rim thereof the said hub and the rim being connected together by resilient means tending to hold the said parts in normal position with relation to eachother.

The pa'rts'of the wheel'are so arranged that when weight or a turning movement is applied to the hub "the said movement is transmitted to the rim' through the connect ingpartsbj a pulling action through the said resilientmeans which connectthe hub with the rim. Spokes of especial design and.

arrangement are connected with the hub' and the rim and are tangentially disposedwith relation to the hub and. are arranged in pairs the melnbers'of which are located at the opposite sides of the central vertical plane of the wheel and are-inclined at their outer ends fromthe said central plane of the wheel toward theends of the hub whereby the weight orstrain sustained by the spokes is transmittedirom the wheel rim to the hub in directions tangential with relation to the hub and at theopposite ends thereof In the accompanying draw1ngz-F1gure 1 is a side elevation oi the wheel with parts broken away, Fig. 2 1s a transverse sec- Mil tional view of portions of the same cut on thedine 2-92 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atrans verse sectional view of portions of the same cut on 'thc line of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view. of the hub of the wheel. 1

rhahu one wheel'comprises area 1 provided atjc're end witha fiangefz to whiclris bolted or otherwise suitably secured a plate 3.;Theplate3 is provided at" its peripheryand at spacedintervals with p'ro-j jectionsfl whichin turn are provided with,

coneeshaped pockets 5., A plate 6 is secured portion to the outer end of the sleeve'l and the said plateat its central 1:;

is concaved 'as at 7 the said con'-' wved portion being connected with the said projecting beyond the side oithe wheel and presentmg obstruction. The plate 6 is pro-- vided at its periphery with projections 9 \similar to the projections 4 and which correspondin number-with the projections 4:.

The projections 9 areprovided with coneshaped pockets 10. The longitudinal dimensions or axes of the pockets v and 10 converge toward each other as best indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawingQ The wheel rim 11 is provided at intervals Q with sockets 12 which.,are arranged in pairs as best indicated in Fig.- 3 of the'drawing and the-members of the pairs of sockets 12' being located at the opposite sides of the vertical center oit'the rim 11; Spokes are provided for connecting thehub structure.

hereinbefore described with the rim and as the spokes are of the same arrangement a description of one will suflice.

Each spoke comprises a-rod at one end with a ball 14 and at its opposite end with a thread 15. Thethread 15 is screwed into engagement with a socket 16 provided in a member 17 and the said member 17 is provided at its inner end with a ball 18. A nut 19 is mounted upon'the rod- 13 and bears against the inner side of the ball 14 the said nut having an opening 20 through which the rod 13 passes, the" said opening being somewhat larger in diameter than the diameter ofthe rod whereby the rod may have slight movement with relation to 'the nut 19, A look nut 21 is screw threaded upon the rod 13 and engages the thread 15 'jagainstfjtheend of the member l7' as best shown-in F 3 of the drawing. A coil li'spring 22 surrounds the rod 13v and bears A at oneend against the nut 21.

A washer'23 is slidablyjmounted upon the end'portionof the "rod 13, and the outer end of thelspring 22 bears against "the said washerf""A'p'acking washer 24; of soft mas at the inner side of the; nut 19 andthe'spring' 22 serves to hold the washer 24: in close con-'- 13 provided thereof. One side of the: lock nut 21 bears terial interposed between the washer 23- tact with the side of the nut 19 thereby clos- 4 ing the inner end of the opening. 20 and preventing dust or dirt from entering the same.

Cup members 25 are provided with sockets 26 and each cup 'member 25 receives a ball 18; The nut 27 is screw threaded in the outer end of the cup member 25 and is provided with an opening 28 through which member 17 passes. The diameter of the opening 28 is somewhat larger than the diameter of themember 17 whereby the said member 17 may haveslight movement with relation to the nut 27. The cup member is provided with a conical shan 29 and at the outer end of the shank the said cup member 25 is provided with an outstanding annular shoulder 30.

As shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing the I shank 29 of the cup members 25 are snugly received in the passages 5 and 10 of the projections 4 and 9 of the plates 3.and 6, and the shoulders 30 of the cup members 25 normally bear against the ends of the -projections 4 and 9. 'The balls 14 upon the rods 13 are received'in the sockets 12 of the rim 11. and are held therein by the of the .drawing the spokes are tangentially. disposed with I'BltItlOll'bO the hub of the wheel; consequently when the spokes are subjected to thrust strain the said strain is transmitted to the hub at the opposite ends thereof and the strain is transmitted through the spokes to the hub in a direction tangentially of' the hub and inasmuch as the outer ends of the spokes are connected with at intervals along the inner side of the rim 11 and the said pockets are provided with openings 32., Rods33 pass through the openings 32 and inasmuch as the diameter of the rods 33 is less than the diameter of the openings 32 the said rods. may have slight movement with relation to the pockets 31. Hemi-spherical heads 34 are mounted at the outer ends of the rods 33 and are movably mounted inthe pockets 31. The inner ends of the rods 33 are screw threaded in blocks 35 which in turn are received in and secured 'by the outermost convolutions of springs 36. Lock nuts 37 are screw threaded upon the rods 33,and bear against the outer ends of the blocks 35 and serve as means for holding the rods 33 in adjusted positions with relation to the said blocks. Blocks 38 are secured in any suitable manner in the inner end portions of the springs 36 and studs 39 are carried by the blocks 38. The inner ends of the studs 39'are -pivotally connected with plates 40 and links 41 are pivotally connected at one end with theends of the said plates 40. The inner ends of the links 41 are pivotally connected with studs "42 which are' mounte d upon the plates 3 and 6 as best indicated in Figs. 2

and 4 of the drawing. The springs 36 are under tension with a tendency to hold the, rim 11 toward the hub of the wheel of which the plates 3 and 6 are component parts. Consequently when the hub of the wheel is rotated a pulling strain is exerted through the springs 36 and the parts vconnected therewith from the hub of the wheel to the rim thereof. In the event'that the hub should rotate faster than the rim or turn faster than the rim as hereinbefore indicated the springs 36 elongate whereby the shanks 29 may have the movement in the pockets 5 and 10 hereinbefore describedbut as soon as the wheel is subjected to normal conditions wherein the hub the rim of the wheel any turning movement and the rim turn or rotate at a uniform rate of speed the springs 36 contract whereby the applied to thehub will have a tendency to act as a pull through the spokes upon the rim of the wheel. Also the spokes at the lower portion of the wheel which transmit the weight sustained by the hub most-directly from the hub to the rim are disposed tangentially with relation to the hub and consequently these spokes will'have a tendency to accelerate the turning movement of the hub in a forward direction.

If at anytime it should happen that the hub is turned at a greater or faster rate of rim. However means is provided and will be explained hereinafter for returning the shanks 29 totheir proper positions iii-the pockets 5 and-1Q. ;;Pockets 31 are provided rim 11 is drawn to its normal'position with relationito the hub and the shanks 29 are forced back into their normal positions in the pockets 5 and 10 and the shoulders 30 of the cup members 25 are caused to seat against the outer ends of the projections 4 and 9. r

From the above description taken in conjunction with' the accompanying drawing it will be observed that a wheel of simple and durable structure is provided and that the said wheel possesses a certain amount of springer resiliency whereby the wheel is caused to move in an even and regular manner oversurfaces of the road and also the strains are transmitted from the hub of the wheel to the rim and vice versa in such manner as to facilitate the rotary movement of the wheel. Y

Having described the invention what is claimed is p a A Wheel comprising a hub and a rim, spokesinterposed between the hub and the rim, the spokes being held in contact with one of the said parts against longitudinal mm'em'ent and slida-bly engaging the other of the said parts for longitudinal movement, the spokes being tangentially disposed with relation to the hub, the spokes being ary ranged in pairs the members of the pairs of spokes being connected at the opposite ends of the hub and spring traction means interposed between the hub and the rim.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature '15 in presence of two Witnesses.

'' OTTO C. KOCH.

Witnesses:

' STEPHEN M. J ETAS,

HORACE K. RoBnRsoN; 

